John Griffiths: I'm very pleased to take part in this important debate today, recognising how important end-of-life and palliative care is to so many of our population and their families. It has been for quite some time and it will be, obviously, into the future. As with other Members, I'm very familiar with the work of local hospices and the quality and importance of that work, in my case, largely St...
John Griffiths: Minister, I'm very pleased that we have this opportunity today, because it enables me to highlight again the case for a new walkway station at Magor, which I know you're very familiar with, and, indeed, was mentioned by Delyth earlier. There is great community support for a new station there as part of the UK new stations fund. Work has been done, stages have been gone through and further...
John Griffiths: Thank you for that support, David, on what is an issue that certainly unites the local community, and I know many Assembly Members have been involved with it. I'd also like to echo what Delyth said about the Ebbw Vale to Newport passenger rail link, because this is a matter that is so long-standing, and there's such an obvious gap in local services that, again, communities feel very...
John Griffiths: 5. What further steps will the Welsh Government take to improve public health in Newport East? OAQ54793
John Griffiths: I thank you for that answer, First Minister, and particularly highlighting the very good work taking place in Newport schools, which obviously I'm very familiar with. I recently met with the British Lung Foundation, and the extent of breathing problems I think is now something like one in five people in the UK having breathing difficulties. Obviously, clean air is a key way of ameliorating...
John Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. So, no shortage of ideas, First Minister, but, really, I just think we need a sense of urgency as to how we make this change.
John Griffiths: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very pleased to open today's debate on Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee report on empty properties, and I would like to start by thanking all those who contributed to our inquiry. Empty properties is a real issue that impacts upon all of our communities. There are around 27,000 long-term empty properties across Wales, so swift action is...
John Griffiths: During our inquiry, we heard about initiatives that have had some success in bringing properties back into use, but progress has stagnated. We believe that a strategic approach is needed for significant change to happen. We would like to see the Welsh Government take the lead on this, engaging with local authorities to prioritise the issue and understand the support it can provide. I'm...
John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. May I thank everybody who took part? I think it's clear that there is a strong consensus about the importance of these issues, and also, in general, the sort of steps that are necessary to deal with them. But there was also, I think, something of a consensus around the fact that that consensus that I've just described has been in place for quite some time, but we...
John Griffiths: What further steps will the Welsh Government take to improve road safety in Newport East?
John Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, of course, in Newport, we have the Llanwern site, which is integrated with Port Talbot. As Dai Rees and Jack Sargeant have already said, these Tata operations are very much seen as a whole. So, we have a great deal of concern in terms of the jobs at Llanwern, and also, of course, at the moment, at the Orb works. The plant is mothballed, with potential buyers still...
John Griffiths: Obviously, poverty and child poverty in Wales are very significant issues for us and for those concerned with social justice at the very heart of the progress that we need to make in Wales. So, I welcome this debate today and the focus that it allows here in the Chamber. We should be discussing these matters and we should be looking at the most effective ways forward and possible new ways of...
John Griffiths: Yes, indeed.
John Griffiths: Well, I thank my colleague Huw for that intervention. We do look at that in the report, as you know, Huw, and I know you were very keen on exploring that approach during the work of the committee. So, we do recognise the need to look at a stronger Welsh voice. I'm sure, when we come to debate the report, that you will take part and we'll hear perhaps various views on that. But, you know,...
John Griffiths: 5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policy for economic development in Newport? OAQ54917
John Griffiths: I thank the First Minister for that. Newport does have great potential with its transport links, motorway, rail and port, and, of course, its geographical position between the economic powerhouses of Cardiff and Bristol. It also has a very resilient local population and workforce that have adapted to economic challenges over many years. We see the new industries, First Minister, of cyber...
John Griffiths: I do think this is a very worthwhile and significant report that we're discussing today, because education is so vitally important and because history is such a big part and must be such a big part of education. Obviously, all of us need to have as good an understanding as we can arrive at in terms of the history of the world, our local history, our national history, if we're really going to...
John Griffiths: Minister, as you know, there's a great deal of frustration and impatience at the fact that the Newport to Ebbw Vale passenger rail link is yet to be established. Are you able to give us an update today regarding the necessary work to make that link a reality?
John Griffiths: Thankfully, we've made progress in reducing the numbers smoking in Wales, First Minister, but it still takes a terrible toll on health in Wales, and particularly regarding people living in poverty. I do believe it's important that we make it more and more socially unacceptable to smoke in Wales, and the ban on smoking in enclosed public places has been a big part of that. A recent Action on...
John Griffiths: Minister, would you agree with me that hate crime against the Gypsy/Traveller community must be treated with equal seriousness as hate crime against any other community or minority in Wales? I recently met with local members of my Gypsy/Traveller community, and they feel very strongly that too often that isn't the case. They gave examples of social media postings, for example, that were...
